1.3 Flashcards
What were 2 gains from the FWW for women?
It gave them a chance to work
Congress passed the 19th Amendment in 1920, giving women the right to vote
What two women organisations were set up in 1920 and what did they do
The League of Women Voters - encouraged women to vote
Women’s Bureau of Labor- improve women’s working conditions and campaign for the wider employment of women
Between 1910 and 1940, how did the number of working women change
1910 - 8.3% of women were working
1940 - 9.8% of women were working
How did the Great Depression impact women
A 1932 Women’s Bureau of Labor report on women workers in slaughtering and meat packing found that about 97% of them were working as the only wage earner in the family, or to boost the husbands wage, not because they wanted to work
Women with families faced significant difficulties raising their children
The Women’s Bureau of Labor supported the Supreme Court’s 1908 Muller v Oregon ruling that women’s working hours should be no more than ten a day which negatively impacted the poorest women as they had to break the rules - the Women’s Bureau of Labor was accused by some of hindering women’s progress
How did the New Deal impact women
Overall, the New Deal focused on providing relief for men
Eleanor Roosevelt wanted jobless young women to be provided work in forestry - in 1933, Camp Tera was set up, funded largely by private donations
In 1934, she held the White House Conference for unemployed women - after this, the camps were federally funded
By 1936, there were 36 camps, taking about 5000 women a year
However, they only took women for 2-3 months and provided no work or wages
During the New Deal, how much did a white man earn compared to a white women and a black women
For every dollar a white man earned, a white woman earned 61 cents and a black women earned 23 cents, on average
What did Fannie Peck do to help women during the New Deal
She set up a series of Housewives Leagues in Detroit in 1930 - these organisations worked to encourage women to shop in black-run stores and to organise help for those in need
They soon spread to other towns and did help local people on a small scale
How did the Second World War impact women
Women showed they were capable of doing male work
1940 Selective Training and Service Act prepared to draft men into the military and train women to fill their places
1941 Lanham Act’s childcare provision was extended - by 1944, there were 130000 children in day care, and married women in the workforce rose from 15% to 23%
How did the SWW affect black women and how were they treated
Worker shortages meant black women could train for professions where they had previously not been welcome - the number of black women on nursing courses rose from 1108 in 1939 to 2600 in 1945
However, in some places, employers refused to employ black women, saying they had sexual diseases
Also, employees were equally difficult: in one Detroit rubber plant, white women workers refused to share toilets with black women
How did the SWW impact women post-war
Once the war ended many women were not re-employed
The percentage of married women 45-54 rose from 10.1% in 1940 to 22.2% in 1950
1946 - Federally funded day-care centres were closed down
The war also changed people’s attitudes - in 1938 78% of people thought married women shouldn’t work, in 1942 it was 13%
Many married women, who gained skills during the war, wanted to continue working
However, women were still paid lower wages than men for the same work
Who were William and Daisy Myers and what happened to them
In 1957, they bought a house in a 17300-home white suburb
They day they moved in, 3000 ‘neighbours’ surrounded the house and threw stones at the windows
State officials upheld their right to stay and banned large gatherings to prevent mobs forming
How many people lived in suburbs in 1960 compared to 1950
In 1960, 19 million more people lived in suburbs than in 1950
How did suburban living in 1941-60 impact women
Most suburban housewives had Labour-saving devices, and better-off women had cleaners and maids - the suburbs created a subset of women with too much time on their hands, but this life was portrayed on billboards, magazines and televisions, e.g. the ‘I Love Lucy’ show as the American Dream
Those who remained in the cities that couldn’t afford to move to the suburbs were worse off - education and job opportunities available to women living in these areas made it almost impossible to change their
What did the government set up in relation to women (1960s)
In 1961 Eleanor Roosevelt influenced president Kennedy to set up a commission of Enquiry on the status of Women
What were the positive findings published by the Commission of Enquiry on the Status of Women
1963 it published its results, praising the Equal Pay Act and the wider opportunity for women in government
In 1964, the Civil Rights Act included sexual equality in its provisions
What were the negative findings of the Commission of Enquiry on the Status of Women
The Equal Pay Act needed enforcing - women accounted for one in three workers, but were discriminated against in access to training, work and promotion. Their wages were uniformly lower and minimum wage regulations did not apply to the low-paid work that many women did
There wasn’t enough day care to help married women work effectively
Said that from infancy, girls were not encouraged to think about careers - parents, even those who could afford it, seldom encouraged their daughters into higher education
1958 Education Act had said schools should have job counsellors to work with students, however there were too little - only about 12000 for all states schools in the USA, very few being in low-income areas
Few counsellors were trained, their advice was patchy and even dangerous
What did Betty Friedan do and what was the impact of this
In 1963 she published ‘the feminine mystique’ which was about the constraints of suburban life and the problems of white, educated, married women
The book created exposure as it was widely debated on TV
What group was Betty Friedan involved in and when was it set up
National Organisation for Women (NOW), set up in 1966
She was one of NOW’s founding members
What did NOW do
They held meetings, collected petitions and data, demonstrated and lobbied politicians for change
Their work was educating people and campaigning about the problems, and providing services and support for working women
Who were the young radicals
This was a second strand to the Women’s liberation movement
It’s members were mostly under 30, white and middle class
Why did the young radicals create the group
Because they were apart of groups like the SNCC and the SDS but women were still discriminated within these groups
What was something that publicised the young radicals
A newspaper called the ‘Voice of the Women’s Liberation Movement’ was set up in 1968. It began selling 200 copies then got to 2000 copies in the next year, but collapsed under the workload
What was the objective of the young radicals?
They wanted the same as other women liberation groups, e.g. contraception, choice for an abortion, equal rights, opportunities and pay
What was the reception to the young radicals
They gained the most publicity as men dismissed them and made fun of them
What was the opposition to the Women’s Liberation Movement
It attracted a large amount of opposition as men were seen as the enemy
Conservatives rejected the movement as they considered it as ‘unamerican’
Phyliss Schlafly objected to demands for equal rights and set up a group called STOP ERA in 1972
What happened in 1970 in regards to women’s rights
There was a strike for the 50th anniversary of women getting the vote
Some women didn’t go to work, others took part in countrywide marches and demonstrations with slogans like ‘Don’t Iron While the Strike Is Hot’
All the women organisation/groups involved presented the same 3 demands: equal opportunity in jobs and education; free childcare; free abortion on demand
How was NOW’s membership impacted from the 1970 strike, and what was their membership in 1967 compared to 1974
It rose by over 50%
NOW’s membership rose from 1000 in 1967 to 40000 in 1974
What were some gains made for women’s rights
1972 Eisenstadt v Baird - allowed access to contraception to unmarried as well as married women
1973 Roe v Wade - abortion made legal
1967 Johnson extended his executive order calling for affirmative action to improve employment conditions for those discriminated against on the grounds of race, creed or colour to cover sexual discrimination as well
What were some limits to advancement for women
1972 Equal Rights Act was never ratified - even after congress set a deadline of 1982, ten years, for the ratification, 15 states were still refusing to ratify ERA in 1982
The USA did not sign up to the 1979 United Nations policy of introducing non-discrimination against women in all aspects of life
The women’s liberation movement disintegrated due to conservative opposition and many women fighting for different local issues
Many working-class and non-white women felt excluded from the movement and set up their own groups
What were some of the groups created by working-class women and non-white women
Congress of Labor Union Women (CLUW) - focused on the rights of working women, especially in industrial work
Mexican American Women’s Organization
National Alliance of Black Feminists
